This is kinda a no brainer for me JP - I got a PURE Ultra HD FLIP CAM for Christmas, it records 2 full hours of HD video (720P) at 30 frames per second. I'll add a few links to show you by different people, but seaching Ultra HD Flip in youtube will do fine.

It is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and there has a "Mino" version that is half as thin, although only has a 1 inch screen, not the 2 inch of the Ultra.

Simplicity... You hit the power button and then the big red button on the back and you are recording, hit it again to stop. A simple up/down, left/right toggle around the red button does most everything from adjusting the volume in playback mode to zooming (not amuch zooming though, 2X digital) and two other simple buttons for managing and deleting files.

The "Flip" part is the cool part, a USB arm extends out for easy insertion to any computer - the cam has builtin software that will load when plugged into any PC, so you have full control over playing and managing files, no disks needed. The cam also has a style 3 HDMI connection (cable not included) to connect directly to a HD TV.

The quality and color reproduction is incredible, even low light is good. It does lack a macro feature, the clearest focus is about 14 inches away.

The best part is the price, it is available around $150 through Amazon, etc. The Ultra is perfect for a shirt pocket, but not a cam for a pants pocket, the Mino is best if you stow it in your pants pocket.

The main image people have with a cam virically styled is cam shake, there is no image stabilizer so walking and filming can require a little learning curve to perfect. I built a small 1 pound steadycam/tripod out of 3/8th black pipe with a 1/4/20 thread bolt which is what tripods use standard - I'll upload an image of that too soon.

But pulling the cam out of your pocket and starting video capture in under 3 seconds is awesome, ad having a full 2 hours of HD (builtin memory, no card slots though for expansion) is fast and you won't miss anything that needs video capture at the quick startup time.

for $150 you cannot touch this cam, you won't worry half as much as you would with an expensive cam.

The software that loads when you plug it ito the PC via USB is more than many cams offer, and it has at least 3 upload direct feature (as in one click to upload to Youtube) making life really easy. It auto-names the files which you then can change at Youtube.

I like it JP, it goes every where I do and I really don't know its on me, weighing in at 7 ouces. Oh, if it dies while you are filming you simply remove the rechargable battery pack and pop in 2 double As. The normal recharging occurs through the USB connection.

JP, please (for now) search the Ultra HD flip at Youtube, running out of time to post links right now, but I'll add some for you when I get a chance. Hope this helps.

PS... This will be the ONLY video cam I'll have at Bud2, although my soda can styled cam I had last time, although loaded with features that beat out the Flip, cannot compare with image quality or ease of file transfer. The flip is what it is, a pack of cig sized cam that does the job and does it well, no need for Mini-DV tapes, cable, chargers, carrying case and all the stuff you normally drag around.

Lastly, STILL PICS (something I know is important to you) is easy - since it takes videos at 30 FPS in HD, you simply pause the video when watching it and choose capture still image and you have a 1080x720 still - 30 pics per second over a 2 hour video is a lot of still pics :)

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That helps alot John. Amazing how the technology has changed & for the price. My only concern would be close ups, since you say macro is only good up to 14" away. I will definitely check it out John & it does seem quite user friendly, wow it really fits in your pocket huh?

I got something VERY similar to what john got..Its called a Kodak, Zi8...I saw the morning news on showing both these cameras doing what they do.They are both really good! My son borrows one from his school like what John has. And, as John said, The image stabilization has a lot left to be desired...the trick is, is to not move around when youre shooting...I also have a DGX from last year..Its pretty cool too, but I just figured that this years options were alot more improved./ Theres tons of HD camcorders out there now which are under 500 bux, But, I've found that the smaller kind works better for me....And, you dont need alotta space for doing youtubes.Most people viewing youtube look for stuff that only takes a few minutes to view anyways...With my new hdcam, like johns, I do alotta small clips then either put them together to make a bigger one, or delete stuff that seems Ive seen over and over in you tube anyways.With the bigger camcorders, they now have small disks and hardrives instead of tapes which make for better HD movies. You can also get movie editing stuff that you can have a blast making your movies better!I always am thinking of getting another camcorder(bigger type) but the technology advances sooo fast with these things that in a few weeks, what you just purchased is obsolete or discontinued. Good luck on your choice!your friend,john

Or, do like I did...I bought an external hardrive.(J )..IOt just pl;ugs into ma usb port ...OOPS...and you hjave tons a space! I think mines 4 terrabytes!..and, if your house catches fire, you juust pull it out and take it with you!..you can also take it out and stick it into another computer, just like that!

As mentioned above, a 16gig SDHC card (if your system uses the high capacity cards holds 4 hours of video) but as Johnny mentioned, a terra drive (selling for under $99 now) will hold 50 hour or as in his a 4 terra will hold 200 hours of video and remember that is CHOICE and FINISHED VIDEO, not all the crap we tend to take and just delete.

Transfer time for the two hours of video from the camera is about 10 minutes in any of my laptops, just to give you an idea. True, you can fill up a hard drive pretty quick, but even my little netbook has 250gig which I guess (doing math in my head) would be 12.5 hours minus the stuff in there.

You have to get use to the idea, digital is here to stay, a paradygm shift that may change but never go back and to have HD you need space, that is where savvy investors will put their money, in storage companies for media.

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I was looking at reviews, and what I saw looks like Johns Pure is rated the highest in alotta reviews. The price for his I lower than mine also.Just bust out the credit card and go get it! dont think about it or you might change your mind!Now, lets see some video!your friend,john